Mildred Fox
Question:419 Ms Fox asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will investigate the delay in the case of a person (details supplied). [31051/04]
View answerTuesday, 30 November 2004
Questions (365, 366)
Written answers
An application for permission to remain in the State based on marriage to an Irish national was received from the person concerned in August 2003. Applications of this type are dealt with in chronological order and take approximately 16 months to process.
Mildred Fox
Question:420 Ms Fox asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the unsatisfactory delays in the processing of applications for residency, the lack of communication or information from this section of his Department and the hardship it is causing many of the applicants; and if he plans to reform this system. [31052/04]
View answerI understand that the focus of the Deputy's question is permission to remain in the State on the basis of marriage to an Irish national.
There is an ongoing increase in the number of applications of the type referred to by the Deputy. There were 156 in 2001 and 271 in 2003. The number of applications received for residency based on marriage to an Irish national for the year to date to 31 October is 287. Applications of this type are dealt with on a strict chronological basis and are taking approximately 16 months to process. The resources allocated to process such applications are dependent on the prioritised work requirements of the immigration division of my Department at any one time.
The Deputy will appreciate that the huge increase in the number of non-nationals present in the State in recent times is reflected in the demand for the services of the immigration and citizenship division. My Department is undergoing a review of the resources available in the immigration and asylum areas with a view to redeploying staff to areas most affected by these delays. It should be noted that all applications are acknowledged at the time of receipt and requests are made for documents when the claim is to be further processed.